Whitney Houston’s vocals were one of a kind. Few could even hope to measure up. If anyone could though, it would be Jennifer Hudson.
Videos by American Songwriter
Hudson and her high-flying vocals proved that point at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party Saturday night (Feb. 4), where she performed Houston’s “Greatest Love of All.” To make the homage even more powerful, Kevin Costner, Houston’s co-star in The Bodyguard, joined her onstage.
“Neither one of us, in the end, could protect your beloved Whitney,” Costner remarked to Davis from the stage. “But your fingerprints on her life are clean my friend. You were a miracle in her life. Thank you for being her bodyguard, Clive. Everyone in this business has a mom, but not everyone has a Clive.”
Check out Hudson’s performance below.
Elsewhere in the night, Sheryl Crow took to the stage to perform “Songbird” and “Say You Love Me” as a tribute to Christine McVie and Lil Baby and Lil Wayne marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop with back-to-back performances. Lil Baby took on “California Breeze” while Lil Wayne performed “Uproar.”
“You come back each year, bonded by the love of music,” Davis declared to the capacity crowd while kicking off the ceremony (per Billboard). Davis’ annual party did not happen in 2020 due to the pandemic and stayed at home in Beverly Hills despite the ceremony’s move to Las Vegas last year.
The 2023 Grammys air Sunday (Feb. 5) from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The ceremony will see performances from Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Sam Smith, Stevie Wonder, Luke Combs, LL Cool J, Bonnie Raitt, and more.
In addition to performances from the nominees, there will also be several tribute performances honoring the lives of Christine McVie, Takeoff, and Loretta Lynn. Kacey Musgraves will sing Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter”; Quavo and the Maverick City Music will perform a tribute to Takeoff with “Without You”; and Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood, and Bonnie Raitt will perform a tribute to McVie with the song “Songbird.” Find out information about how to tune in to the Grammys, HERE.
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
